Temptations
by Supreme Distraction
Summary: Jhudora had never been particularly good at resisting temptation.


It's time for more fandom expansion! And, my, what a barren fandom –sniffs- I myself love these faerie babes and, _come on, _there are only females in this species; it screams, "'Ship me!" If there's decent feedback for this piece, I might just continue it in a more R-rated setting. Heh.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Except for **GrimGrave**. He just doesn't know it yet ;D

**q-o-p**

The most recent event in Neopia—a series of fetch quests for the Faeries that netted the creatures and their owners some silly, meaningless award—had flooded the Faerie Plain with a menagerie of Pets.

It was total and utter chaos, which was something the Dark Faerie should have relished, but instead she was filled with a slowly simmering sense of frustration. For sitting to her right in one of the thrones lining one side of the circular courtyard known as the Faerie Court, which was a sort of middle ground that connected all of the Faeries' homes together was an olive-skinned female with auburn hair, the front part of which was a deep shade of green, and a pair of wings that resembled a butterfly's in shape and the broad leaves of an oak tree in appearance.

Illusen, the Earth Faerie, smiled calmly from her throne of greenery and for some reason that was immensely irritating.

And it wasn't as though the expression was anything out of the ordinary—the female tended to air on the side of pleasant—nor was the faerie in question doing anything that merited the burning hot rage that bubbled just beneath the surface, rather it was the _lack _of change in behavior that had the Dark Faerie drumming clawed fingertips against the smooth, rounded surface of the skulls that served as the arms of her own throne. She shifted, uncrossing and crossing long legs as she arranged herself languidly, her inner turmoil absent from the bored expression on her lovely face.

'_That wretched faerie thinks she's so clever with those ridiculous wings and her holier-than-though smile and that damned beautiful—!' _With a disgusted sound, the faerie shifted again, disguising the reaction behind an impatient gesture that brought the Aisha at the front of the long, _long _line stumbling into range, its eyes wide, fearful. It offered up whatever silly trinket it had found and, with an impassive glance, the ashen-skinned faerie threw a sparkling sphere—just a bit of nature magic and spring water; a pretty, useless bauble—in the Pet's general direction before snarling for the next in line.

It was then that the purple-haired beauty realized that she was being watched and she bristled, rounding on Illusen and silently daring the Earth Faerie to say something.

"Mm… You're in a rare mood." _This _smile was smug, cunning—in other words, completely out of place on the gentle faerie's face. Jhudora stilled, her heart beating too swiftly beneath her breast as her mind processed just what such an expression could possibly mean. They had been spending too much time together, clearly, but even more than that, it seemed Illusen was taking _pleasure _from her thinly veiled ire.

And that was… exciting.

"… Hmph," the Dark Faerie grunted, recovering from her momentary lapse in mental activity. She crossed her arms over her breast, tossing her head imperiously as she hissed, "I'd be in a better mood if you'd leave me be."

Which was the furthest thing from the truth that she had ever uttered, but it wasn't as though she could engage in civil conversation with the faerie in public—not when the entirety of Neopia thought they were mortal enemies. And perhaps they had been at some point, but now…

That placid mask had returned, but something alluring glinted in dark green orbs. "Is that so? I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Her tone was deliberately flippant, dismissive, and it made the purplette bristle righteously. Rather than grace the other faerie with a response, she scoffed haughtily and returned her attention to the milling crowd.

It was going to be a long day.

By the time the sun had dipped behind the grassy swells that surrounded the Faerie Court, the line still stretched past their bases. The Faerie Queen, who had chosen to grace them with her presence, was the first to announce that she had had enough and, rising from her throne of elegantly wrought gold and silver, she stretched her arms over her head and disappeared in a flash of brilliance. It seemed that that was the cue because the Battle Faerie and the Snow Faerie followed suit and the crowd began to disperse immediately thereafter.

Jhudora didn't head for her tower atop a jagged bluff overlooking the choppy, violent swells of the ocean below, choosing instead to wait impatiently for Illusen to finish making nice with the handful of Pets that remained. Now that the chaos had died down, the purple-haired female took a moment to observe the Earth Faerie: the redhead possessed a rare, exquisite beauty and a playful sort of grace that was embodied in her every action. She was easily the most popular faerie for those reasons alone, but she was also a good listener, a wonderful conversation partner, a fiercely loyal ally, and a just foe.

All in all, she was everything that Jhudora _wasn't_—perfection personified.

The Dark Faerie sighed, resting her chin in her hand and allowing her shoulders to sag tiredly. Why did her foolish heart beat so powerfully for the red-haired beauty? It should have known that opening up and _feeling_—parting its delicate petals and lowering its wall of thorns—would only lead to despair, but despite her misgivings, the contemptible muscle knew what it wanted. She would feel much, much better if that thing hadn't been a faerie with so much sway over her emotions.

Because, despite the disdainful air with which the purplette carried herself, she was indeed capable of caring about others and it just so happened that she… _cared about Illusen._

Goodness, the thought alone was painful.

Jhudora sighed again and flinched when a warm hand rested on her shoulder, a warm voice asking softly, "What troubles you, my love?"

The pet name should have made her want to vomit, but instead it made the corners of purple-painted lips twitch, caught between a happy smile and her customary scowl. Had she really been so lost in contemplation that she hadn't sensed her companion's approach? Or, even more disturbingly, had she grown so accustomed to the redhead's presence that it was no longer seen as a cause for alarm?

She shook her head fiercely, attempting to dislodge the seed of doubt before it could take root, and shrugged off the gentle touch, growling, "I told you to leave me be."

"There's no one here," Illusen responded quietly, daring to skirt around to the front of the skeletal throne and place a hand over Jhudora's. "You don't have to act this way."

The purplette tensed, but she didn't cuff the other faerie for her impudence as she should have. She turned her face away so as to avoid those searching emerald orbs and told herself firmly that she did _not _enjoy the warmth of the delicate appendage that covered her own.

"Who says it's an act?" Her heart skipped a painful beat at the way the redhead's eyebrows drooped and the corners of full lips drooped downward, but she didn't allow her reaction to the shift in her companion's mood to show on her face. Instead, she scowled and reminded herself for the umpteenth time that Illusen's sadness should bring her _joy_, not make her want to reach out and hug the female.

It was a futile argument, it seemed, for not even three seconds after the thought crossed her mind, Jhudora's hand, without any input from her brain, turned over beneath the Earth Faerie's and threaded its fingers through hers, squeezing comfortingly. She gaped, aghast, down at the rebellious digits, the surge of annoyance that she had experienced melting away in favour of disbelief.

'_How…?'_

It didn't matter _how _when she was being embraced and enveloped in the rich, faintly sweet smell of the other faerie. The ashen-skinned beauty's good sense screamed protests against the closeness they shared and the meaning—the intimacy—connected to such a gesture, but her muscles relaxed entirely, allowing her slender form to snuggle into Illusen's taller one. They fit perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle, and though the mere fact that such a disgustingly romantic thought had so much as flashed through her mind should have alarmed her, the Dark Faerie cast aside her doubt and wrapped her arms around the redhead, drawing her close.

"Curse you…" There was no venom in her tone, only resignation, and the purple-haired faerie berated herself inwardly for being so grossly incapable of resisting the allure of this forbidden flower.

The Earth Faerie chuckled, the throaty sound sending a bolt of heat racing along Jhudora's spine, and the purplette growled, nuzzling into the tanned column of the taller female's throat. Illusen released a soft, pleased sound, and that encouraged the faerie to run the tips of her claws gently up the redhead's forearm as she pressed a kiss to the underside of the other female's jaw.

When the taller faerie murmured something that sounded suspiciously like, "I missed you…" she straightened. She didn't have the courage to admit such a thing or even agree to what had already been put forth, but the purplette could certainly _show _how she felt.

Besides, those full, pouty lips were just waiting for her to ravish them…

Not one for ignoring her baser instincts, the Dark Faerie leaned in, hesitating a moment in order to give the other female a chance to flinch away. When Illusen only sighed softly, her eyelids lowering ever so slightly and her lips parting to allow her tongue to swipe over them and apply a thin, glistening layer of saliva, the shorter faerie sucked in a steadying breath and leaned forward, closing the minute gap between them to claim her prize.

Jhudora poured everything she had into the kiss—every worrisome fluttering of her heart and anxious flip-flop of her stomach caused by the butterflies that rampaged through it whenever thoughts of the other faerie arose; every moment spent hoping that the redhead would spare a glance her way or a warm, affectionate smile that sent pleasure washing through her slender frame—and Illusen met her ardor with parted lips and a cleverly twisting tongue.

When they parted, the smiles both females shared were small, shy, and the ashen-skinned faerie rested her head against the Earth Faerie's, breathing in her rich, sweet scent.

She wanted more than anything to say the words that danced at the tip of her tongue, threatening to tear down the hard, disdainful façade she had created for herself; to take Illusen in her arms and demonstrate… no, _prove _to the redhead just how much she meant to her; to drive home the gravity of the situation at hand: the faerie of earth and nature was _hers_—now and forever.

But that was a temptation for another time.


End file.
